Railroad-track.



FRANCIS K. HOLMESTED, OF QUINNIMONT, WEST VIRGINIA.

RAILROAD-TRACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 2S, 1913.

Anpiiation fnea March 1s, 1913. I Yserial No. 755,174.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANCIS K. Homin s'rED, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Quinnimont, in the county of Fayette and Stateof West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Tracks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in railroad tracks and particularly to metallic ties having means for separably securing rails thereto and also for positively associating jumper rails with the mainV track rails.

The improved metallic tie and rail secur# ing means are especially adapted for use in mines where it is necessary to frequently Y change the position of a track bed or track organization or to take up and relaytrackrails, and, further, to provide for extending the mam track through the medium of jumper rails so that: the cars may rbe run up close to the work'or located adjacent to` a wall of a room of a mine when itfis in`- expedient to lay a full track rail section in the distance between the terminal `of the main track bed and thesaid wall.- It is often found necessary to extend a track'in a mine within a room to avoid carrying coal, for instance, a distance from the point of mining the same to the car on the main track or to avoid double shoveling, and to meet this contingency jumper or extension rails are applied to the main track rails to permit the car to be run into thegroom or compartment of the mine beyond the terminal of the main track in order to bring the car close to the working point to directly receive the mined coal or other material or` ore.

The present improvement consists in combining with the structure or organization of the railroad track disclosed by my pending applications, Serial Numbers 736,451 and 751,377, means in connection with each tie for permitting the application thereto of jumper rails and thereby render the improved railroad track complete in all its details and equip the same in such manner as to fully meet the contingencies of mine railroad trac-k requirements.

In the drawing: Figure l is a plan view of a railroad track embodying the improved features. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail perspectu tive view of a portion of one of the ties,`

`posed Vin operative The numeral 5 designates a tie which is constructed from suitable channel iron or other metal adapted for the purpose. The tie has such general dimensions as to render it convenient for use in a mine and the fianges produced by the channeling of the tie may be of any width or depth and are adapted to be placed directly upon the floor of different portions of a mine. The ties are all of similar structure and when disposition will be spaced the usual distance. When the ties are placed upon the supporting bed or oorof the mine the anges thereof will be at the bottom and the lower portionsof the flanges, as at 6, will be caused toembed themselves in the floor, the said flanges holding the ties against displacement by having the material of the iioor pressed upwardly within the body of each tie between the two opposing iianges at the sides. By this means the tie may be readily placed and automatically secured against movement after placement, and when itV isdesired toV remove the track or to detach the parts thereof and dispose the ties in other places eachtie lmay be readily elevated from the door and transported to another place or location for further use as may be desired.r

Each tie isiequipped with similar rail fastening means consisting of a flat metal plate 7 having the opposite ends preferably bent inwardly in reverse directions to form rail flange guards or engaging members 8. Primarily each plate from which the fastener is formed is of rectangular contour and of such length that a close engagement will be insured between the inner walls of the inwardly bent guards or engaging members 8 and the opposite side edges of the base flange ofthe rail disposed in the fastening, and owing to the rectangular contour of the plate from which the fastener is formed the inwardly or reversely bent guards or flange engaging members' 8 will be projected slightly at opposite side edges of each fastener and thereby increase the purchase or binding action of the said guards or engaging members 8 1n diagonal relation on the top surface of opposite portions of the rail flange. The inwardly and reversely bent arrangement of the guards or members 8 also gives a longer bearing between the inner surfaces of the bent walls of the said guards or members relatively to the portions of the rail flange fitted therein, and

a positive or reliable securing of the rails .on the ties is thus produced without the necessity of employing spikes orthe like.

One fastener on each tie is primarily secured against increment, said fastener begenerally indicated .by the reference racter fr, whereas the oppositesimilar fastener, indicated generally by 'the reference character B, is pivoted to the tic as at 9 by a suitable pivot pin or rivet inserted through an intermediate portionlthereof and the top of the tie. This pivoted fastener B is shiftable to bring the same in properposition for introduction ofthe rail flange therein, and afterv the raillias been engagedftherewith the said fastener is swungon `the tie and `by such operation the rail is simultaneously secured and atthe saine'time is drawn into proper vgage Arelatively to the companion rail on the .opposite extremity of the tie and thusthe necessity qof measuring or gaging therails afterthey havebeen disposed in the yfasteners is avoided. vWhen the pivoted fastener Bisswung around'into locking position relatively to the rail it is securely held against movement by a locking opening 15 is formed inthe top of the tie through which a pick point or other implement maybe inserted to press the spring armor plate downwardlyiand correspondingly vdepress the rsaid pin or projection to disengage the same `from the opening 21-1 in the fastener, and after thisfrelease hasbeen effected the fastener maylbe turned as may be desired to detach the railtherefrom.

*rom the foregoing it will be seen that each fastener is disposed directly upon the top portion of the tie, there being no devices of any kind interposed between the fastener and tlietie, and consequently there is no danger of a break-down or distortion of intermediate parts and modification of the track level, andthe tra-ck rails will be maintained in proper relative positions in a horizontal plane with material advantages in the movement of rolling stock orcars thereover. Then the fasteners A. `and B are in engagement with the rails they are disposed in converging diagonal planesirelatively to each other, as `clearly shown by F ig. 1, and hence therails will be prevented from slipping or becoming'in the least displaced and will always be maintained in proper relative gage.

Each tie has an abutinentor guard 1G rising therefrom inside of each fastener, the

abutments or guards 16 off the tie having free ends extending outwardly, as at 17. These abutments or guards 16 may be applied to the tie, but it has been found that they can be economically formed by cutting the top portion of the tie at a suitable `distance inwardly from each fastener and then striking the cut portion upwardly and bending the same as shown so as to dispose the free end 17 of each abutment in a position to squarely engage with or bear :against a jumper rrail 18 associated with each main track rail. These jumper rails 1S are used to extend the main track beyond its terminal into rooms, compartments or places where the distance between the terminal of the main track and the farther wall of the, room `or compartment is less than the length of a standard rail section so that ,the car maybe nio-ved up close to the work or the point where t-he coal or other ore is being mined to avoid t-he delay incident `toltransferring the coal or ore to the car at a distancefrom lthe working point and also to overcome the necessity of double shoveling.

ln applying'therjumper rails 1S tlieheads lof the rails are inserted between .the base flanges and the balls or heads of the main track rails with the base flanges of the jumper rails `arranged so that the edges thereof at one side'will bear on the ties and the other edges-stand uppermost, and when so disposed the abutments or guards 16 will firmly bear against the central portions-of the base iianges and securely liold the juniper rails in association with the main track rails. Under these lconditions the side portions ofthe heads or balls of the juniper rails lwill be clear of thetreads of the car wheels vat points beyond the terminals of the main track rails, Vand "the flanges of the car .wheels will extend into the space between the heads and flanges of the jumper rails and engagethe webs of the latter rails. Beyond the terminals of the main trac-k rails the jumper rails are suppo-rted on the mine'floor andwill positively sustain the weight of the oars moving thereover and, furthermore, the cars will readily pass from the main track rails :onto the jumper rails and fromthe latter back to the main track rails without liability of derailment of the cars.

In applying the rails to thetie extremities having thereon the fixed fasteners A, each tie is turned in such position that the-opening between 'the guards `orengaging members 8 will receive the 'base flanges of the rails,and after the rail has been seatedor pushed into theseat of each fixed fastener Yformedbetween thesaid guards or engaging members V8, ythe tie is bodily turned so asu-to change its-position at an angle of application toa direction transverse of the flooror bed or in a plane atright angles t0 the'rail in order to cause the guards or engaging members 8 to tightly embrace the opposite portions of the base flange of the rail.

In applying the rails to the pivoted fasteners B the said fasteners are released and turned at a proper angle with relation to the top of the tie, and after the rails are inserted in the pivoted fasteners the latter are each turned with the rails disposed therein to cause the same to extend diagonally across the top of the tie in converging planes relatively to the fixed fasteners, and the instant that the opening 14 in each fastener registers with the opening 13 in the tie, the pin or projection 10 of each lock will immediately snap upwardly and secure the pivoted fastener against movement and at t-he same time the rail will be drawn into proper gage relatively to the opposing rail on the opposite extremity of the tie and also in alinement with other rails that may have been laid in connection with the pivoted fasteners. IVhen the track is taken up or disorganized the rail engaging the pivoted fasteners will be first removed by shifting the said fasteners to release positions and the rails detached therefrom, and afterward the remaining rails engaging the fixed fasteners will be released by swinging the ties thereunder to a proper angle to release the guards of the fixed fasteners from the rails and permit the latter to be lifted out or detached. The jumper rails may be readily associated with the main track rails or detached there- .from by the very simple operation hereinbefore explained and the abutments or guards 16 when not in use as the securing means for the jumper rails will not in the least interfere with the fasteners A and B in performingl their functions relatively to the main track rail.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a tie is provided equipped with devices o-f a simple character to meet the various contingencies of mine railroading or track construction at a comparatively Small cost. l/Vhile the improved rail fastening means and ties as thus explained have been particularly devised for mine railways or tracks, it will be understood that they might be adopted in other railway constructions where it is desired to shift a railroad track from one place to another in an expeditious and positive manner, and, furthermore, the same essential features might be adopted in railway constructions to facilitate the removal and replacement of rails that may become worn.

IVhat is claimed is:

1. A railroad tie having rail engaging fas.- teners on opposite extremities thereof, the one fastener being fixed on the tie and the other fastener pivoted on the tie, and upwardly projecting abutments or guards disposed a suitable distance inside of the fasteners to engage portionsA of jumper rails.

2. In a railway track, the combination of a tie having fasteners on opposite extremities thereof with engaging means for main track rails, one fastener being ixed on the tie and the other fastener pivoted on the tie, and upwardly projecting outwardly extending abutments to engage portions of jumper rails, the said abutments rising from the tie at points inside of the fasteners and at relative distances from the latter.

3. In a railway track, the combination of a plurality of ties having fasteners on opposite extremities provided with rail engaging means, one fastener being permanently fixed on each tie and the other fastener being pivoted on each tie, guards rising from the ties inside of the fasteners and at relative distances from the latter, main track rails separably engaging the said fasteners, and jumper rails interposed between the inner portions of the main .track rails and the guards to extend the track beyond the terminals of the main track rails.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in vpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

` FRANCIS K. HOLMESTED. IVitnesses: Y

CHAs. S. HYER, CHAs. A. Rows.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C." 

